CLOSED DOORS
A Ranma 1/2 Alternate Universe
Story by: Kristin-a-dette
Characters, trademark and inspiration by: Rumiko Takahashi's Ranma 1/2
Chapter 2: Secluded Shell
Arriving at the Tendou household, Akane opened the door and called out, "I'm home!" No one answered. Akane took a deep breath and then stepped inside. She took her shoes off and placed them neatly on the bottom of the stairs, along with several other shoes. She climbed up the stairs, and paused. She looked towards the wooden oak table on her right, where a picture frame was standing in the middle of the table, and two Chinese porcelain vases filled with daisies were situated on either side of the frame. Akane could feel her eyes prickling, and she blinked and rubbed her eyes.
Mother...
Her mother had died eleven years ago due to breast cancer. Akane was only five years old at the time, and she didn't understand what "cancer" meant. All she remembered was staring at an empty hole and at her mother, who was sleeping inside a long, white box. She knew what "death" meant, she wasn't that naive, but she couldn't believe that her mother was dead, either. She was crying her little heart out, because she remembered the last words told her mother, and that was, "Please come home, Mommy."
But Mommy didn't come home. Akane took her ratty old teddy bear, and threw it at her mother's coffin. She yelled out, "Come back, Mommy! You promise! You promise! COME BACK!" She had felt several hands trying to soothe her, but all she remembered after that was her sobbing against her father's chest, and when she looked up at him, she saw that Father was crying too. This made her cry all over again, because it was so heartbreaking to see her father break down like that. Then she looked at her mother, beautiful and eerily still, and whispered, "You broke my promise, Mommy..."
Akane looked back at her five-year-old memories. She could hardly remember her mother. By now, she knew that her mother didn't really broke her promise, but to Akane, she felt abandoned. She had grew up into her teen years without a mother, no one to tell her that it was OK for her chest to grow; no one to tell her that she didn't cut herself when she saw that she was bleeding. Well, it wasn't really fair for her to say that she didn't grow up without a mother figure, because she did. Akane turned away from her mother's picture and raised her arm to wipe her fallen tears.
Even though her mother was gone, she still had Father, and her two older sisters. Kasumi was the exact image of their deceased mother, she was beautiful and tall, with long, wavy, black hair that shimmers in red when the sun would reflect on it. She had a slim figure and a heart-shaped face with sparkling azure eyes, and a full, pouty, red mouth. She was kind and skilled with managing the household, and she had this quiet strength with her, that made every man in sight fall in love with her right away. Especially... Akane sighed. Kasumi was a great sister, and a really good cook. Akane tried to learn from her, but no matter what she does, food seems to hate her anyways.
Akane's other sister, Nabiki, was a great businesswoman and breadwinner of the family. Ever since she was young, Nabiki had always been thinking up of methods to earn money. Her first business was opening up a little stand outside her house when she was four, and there she sold lemonade and brownies that both her mother and Kasumi had made. Sometimes, people would wonder how Nabiki and Kasumi are related, for one was gentle and sweet, and the other was ruthless and really, really smart, especially when it comes to money. Kasumi and her were fraternal twins, Kasumi getting her beautiful looks from her mother, and Nabiki getting hers from both parents. She had medium straight black hair, where every month she would highlight her hair with different colours of the rainbow. Her stormy gray-blue eyes would pierce at you with a hidden intelligence, and you could hardly see Nabiki genuinely smile unless if it involves money schemes or something of the nature.
Then the last female member of the Tendou residence. Akane. Well, what can one say about her? She's a really insecure person, intimidated by the fact that both of her sisters were the only ones who really helped around the house properly, who had some resemblance to their mother, and who truly remembered their memories with her. Akane was an average girl, with average looks (mostly from her father), and average abilities. The only thing that Akane was good at was daydreaming and writing. And she had a really bad temper at times. She usually pours out everything to her diary, and dreams of the day when she would finally have the courage to break free from her secluded shell.
At school, it was no different. Akane knew almost everyone from school, for she grew up with most of them practically from kindergarten. But she wasn't popular. She just knew everybody. She wasn't outgoing, she was painfully shy, and fellow classmates, when they took notice, which was practically never, would describe Akane as a "moody, just a-girl-who-I-knew-but-never-really-knew-you-know-what-I-mean? type of girl".
Akane doesn't really care though. She wasn't in school to impress anyone, but sometimes she would have that longing, but she would quickly quelched that feeling. Few years ago, she would've been shocked and dismayed at the opinions of her classmates, but she learned the hard way. Don't trust quickly, and don't expect too much. People would always disappoint you. Like her mother...
Then Akane's thoughts wandered to her first grade memories, and she shuddered. She didn't want to think about it. She sighed and went to the kitchen. Kasumi was there, chopping up some tomatoes.
"Hey, Kasumi. I didn't see you at school today. Where were you?" Akane asked the older girl as she opened the fridge and took out an orange juice container. She poured some of the juice into a clean glass and plopped down on a chair beside Kasumi.
"Oh..." Kasumi flushed. A squirt of tomato juice flew at Akane's hands. Akane grimaced and wiped it away. Kasumi continued, "Father's having one of his attacks again just after you and Nabiki left for school. I had to stay home and take care of him." She gave Akane a sad look.
Suddenly, Akane felt like crying. It wasn't fair. Her father, normally a robust and energetic man, had his first heart attack the previous year, and this was his fourth time. His hours at work were slowly decreasing due to his absence. Then she was mad. "Why didn't you call the school and told us about it?" She demanded.
Kasumi blinked. "Well... it was just a minor one. Father didn't want to bother you, and besides, I called Dr. Gen right away."
"So what?" Akane snapped. "We need to be there, Kasumi. You can't possibly..." She took a deep breath. Losing her temper isn't going to do anything good, and lashing out at poor Kasumi would just be too horrible. "I'm sorry. It's just that, I want to be there when Father is having his attacks."
Kasumi smiled sadly. "Yes, I know what you mean. I'm sorry I didn't tell you. Please forgive me?" Kasumi held out a sliced tomato.
Akane smiled back. "What do you need me to forgive you for?" she finished her drink. "So Dr. Gen came?" she looked at Kasumi.
Her sister smiled. "Yes, he did. Tofou also came by half an hour ago. Did you see him? I think he left with his father together."
Akane fiddled with her glass. Of course she saw them... "Yeah, I did. Why did Tofou came by?"
"Oh, just to bring me my missed homework. He's so sweet, isn't he?" Kasumi grinned at her. Akane flushed, and nodded. "Yeah..." She stood up and brought her glass to the sink. She washed her hands and then left the kitchen.
Kasumi looked back at her, wondering at her sister's sudden behaviour.
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Akane knocked at the brown, maple door and turned the knob. She looked around and found her father sleeping on his bed. She entered her father's room and tiptoed silently towards him. She straightened his blankets and kissed him on the cheeks. She smiled ruefully at the peaceful scene her father made. His thick black moustache was streaked with gray, and he was breathing softly through his mouth. A tear threatened to fall from her eye, and she bit her lips. "I hope God will make you better, Father." she whispered, her voice breaking. Then she quickly left the room and hastily opened her own bedroom door, shut the door, and fell on her bed, sobbing her young heart out.
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After making sure Ryouga went home without getting lost again, Ranma arrived at his house and was about to knock on the door when it suddenly opened. A pretty maid with long, violet-black hair smiled at him. "Welcome home, sir Ranma."
Ranma grinned at her. "Hey, Shampoo. Since when did you become the butler?" This was an old ongoing joke with the two of them.
Shampoo laughed. "Since I was hired months ago." She gave him a wink. "Your father and brother came home now too. Emergency somewhere at some patient house."
Ranma entered and Shampoo closed the door behind him. "It's "patient's house", Shampoo. Not patient house." This was another thing too, teaching Shampoo how to speak proper English.
The maid shrugged with nonchalence. "Shampoo no care. Sir Ranma's father and brother at father office." She gave Ranma a bow and left.
Ranma shook his head and grinned. She sure was... something. He dropped his bag at the bottom of the stairs on his left, and walked ahead towards his father's office. He opened the door and smirked at the occupants inside.
"Hey, Dad. Hey, Tofou."
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